Drum and Bell Towers Square

Xian's city center was a rather pleasant surprise. Although, in ancient times it was known as Chang'an, the capital of China, that
had been more than a thousand years earlier. However, instead of the little
provincial town, we found a bustling metropolis with as cosmopolitan flair. The
streets and the shopping area around the city center are lively.

Bell Tower

The Bell Tower of Xi'an stands at the centre
of the city with four main streets radiating from it in four directions linking
the four gates in the city wall. It was built in 1384 and is 36 meters high.
Originally a huge bell hanging beneath its roof served to give battle signals
for the city's defence system. The tower has a 6-metre high archway on each side
and a circular staircase leads to the top story.,

The Bell Tower is located in the center of downtown area where the North Street (Bei Dajie), the South Street (Nan Dajie), the East
Street (Dong Dajie) and the West Street (Xi Dajie) join. It was first built in
Yingxiang Temple in 1384, to mark the center of the city. As a result of the
city's expansion, it was shifted to its present site in 1582. It used to hold a
sizable bell to strike time every morning.

The Bell Tower has a classical structure with carved beams and painted rafters. It is 36 meters above ground. The base of the Bell
Tower is 1,337.4 square meters in size, 8.6 meters high and 35.5 meters wide. It
is a brick-and-wood structure, with its eaves supported by colored dou gong, a
traditional structure unique to ancient china. The dou gong structure, which
originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600B.C.-1100 B.C), helps to consolidate the
whole building and make it look beautiful.

The tower was built in 1384 by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as a way to dominate the surrounding countryside and provide early warning of
attack by rival rulers.

The tower has three layers of eaves but only two stories. Inside, a staircase spirals up. The grey bricks of the square base, the
dark green glazed tiles on the eaves, gold-plating on the roof and gilded color
painting make the tower a colorful and dramatic masterpiece of Ming-style
architecture. In addition to enhancing the beauty of the building, the three
layers of eaves reduce the impact of rain on the building.

On the second floor, a plaque set in the west wall records the relocation of the tower in 1582. When it was first built in 1384, it
stood near the Drum Tower on the central axis of the city, and continued to mark
the center of the city since Tang Dynasty and the following the Five Dynasties
and the Song and Yuan Dynasties. As the city grew, however, the geographical
center changed. Therefore, in 1582, the Tower was moved 1,000 meters (3,280
feet) east of the original site. Except for the base, all parts are original,
and history tells us that the relocation was accomplished quickly and
inexpensively, making it a truly notable achievement in the architectural
history in China.

Originally, the northwest corner of the tower housed the famous Jingyun Bell from the Tang Dynasty. Legend has it that although
nothing had changed in the tower, the Jingyun Bell fell silent during the Ming
Dynasty, so the current bell, a much smaller one weighing only 5 tons, was cast.
The original Jingyun Bell can now be seen in Forest of Stone Steles
Museum.

The engravings on the doors of the Tower reflect the decorative fashion of Ming and Qing Dynasties, recounting popular stories of
ancient China.

On each side of the base, there is an arched door 6 meters (19.6feet) high. In the past, vehicles were allowed to pass through the
arches and under the tower, but as the city has grown the volume of traffic has
become too great, so a bright, spacious pedestrian subway has been constructed
under the tower. The entrance to the tower is from this subway.

A fenced-in area around the tower is planted with grass and flowers. In early spring, the tender plum blossoms and bright new
grass surrounding the old tower provide a harmonious contrast. Not far from the
Tower, modern shopping malls and a brightly decorated square reveal the
prosperity of the city. When night falls, lanterns hung from the eaves
illuminate the tower, making it even more enchanting.

The Bell Tower definitely deserves a visit on your trip to Xian.

About 500 meters northwest of the Bell Tower stands another magnificent building, the Drum Tower. Built in 1380, it used to house a
huge drum to tell the time at dusk. The base of the Drum Tower is 1,924 square
meters, and its height is 34 meters.

Both the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower were listed as cultural relics under the municipal-level protection. With the two towers
rivaling each other, the ancient city of Xi'an is more beautiful and spectacular
than ever before.

Admission Fee:

CNY 27 CNY 40 for Bell Tower andBell Tower

Opening Hours:

08:00 to 18:00

Recommended Time for a Visit:

One hour

the Tower can only be accessed from the entrance on Bei Dajie where visitors must also buy their tickets.

The Drum Tower

The Drum Tower is on the northern side of the western street in the city. It was built in 1380 (the 13th year of
Ming Hongwu Era), and were rebuilt in 1699 (the 38th year of the Qing Kangxi
Era) and in 1740 (the 5th year of the Qing Qianlong Era). It's named as the Drum
Tower because of the big drum placed on the tower, which was hit at dusk
everyday for giving the correct time.

The Drum Tower in Xian was initially built in 1380 during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was renovated
twice in 1699 and 1740 in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is a two-storied post
and panel structure, 34 meters (about 112 feet) high and 52.6 meters (about 172
feet) long from east to west as well as 38 meters (about 124 feet) wide from
north to south. The architecture style of the Drum Tower is a combination of the
styles of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Qing Dynasty. However, the Drum
Tower also has some innovative features. For example, it should be mentioned
that there is no iron nail used anywhere in the Drum Tower.

Arriving at the Drum Tower you will see that there is an arched doorway in the centre of the south and north walls, doorway being 6
meters (about 20 feet) in both height and width. The north entrance leads to
Beiyuan Men and south to Xi Dajie. Visitors can go upstairs to the second floor,
and enjoy the views around the Drum Tower. Meanwhile, you will notice that there
are twenty-four drums in the north and south sides of the Drum Tower. These
drums stand for the Twenty-four Solar Terms which is a kind of weather calendar
created by the Chinese ancients in order to guide the agricultural
production.

In modern times, the Drum Tower is not used as a timer any more, but there are some new attractions for visitors to enjoy. In the year of
1996, a new drum, covered by a whole piece of cowhide was given a place on the
Drum Tower. It is the biggest drum in China at present. What is more, visitors
will enjoy musical performances on the Drum Tower. These performances will
enlighten one on the power of ancient Chinese culture.

When you finish visiting the Drum Tower, you may round off your trip, by tasting a number of delicious snacks of Shaanxi in the Moslem
Street (Huimin Jie) adjacent to the Drum Tower.